Ashley came home this week! YAA! the end 0f the empty nest for 12 weeks and then I will bet it is on for good. Next summer I think she will stay up in Logan and then go on a mission unless other things happen. Well we love having her home.

We had a fun weekend! We went down to Jerry's new Condo. He bought it last week in St George and we went down to help him move in. It is so cool I think Dale and I are going to use it some.

For the girls birthday the girls and their spouses and Ashley's friend came. We went to Tepanyaki - It was a lot of fun. I love doing things with my girls. Sara maybe heading to Tonga and then I will just have Ashley and Tara around. But we already have plans for going to Tonga.

I have had a nice week. My favorite thing to do in the world is to watch grandkids!
Tate and Owen are so fun! Owen is responding and smiling. He is so different than Tate, but they are both wonderful. Tate is so wirey and smart and Owen is so calm and chilled. He just goes to sleep so easily. Tate is almost potty trained which will be a plus for Tara,
I am becoming a collector of quotes: I am really into trying to get in shape and loose some weight. So they go with becoming more self disciplined.

"The only control in life is self control!" This is from Jeffrey Holland. We were so busy around conference with Easter and then our trip that this last week when I was sick I just sat and watched it on my DVR, It was the best medicene of all.

The other quote is from a series of books that I am reading. They are by Orson Scott Card the quote is:
"We can't change where the river flowed yesterday -We can only choose where it will flow today!" So true!!

Allice In Wonderland

Karen invited me to go to the Alice in Wonderland Dinner. I was so sick with Asthma I hope Karen did not think me a dope coughing all the time. It was delightful. I was glad that Elden was out of town so that I could go in his place. The food was yummy and fancy and the decor just plain fun. I even ate rabbit which I was a bit worried about. But it was yummy - a combination of porkloin and chicken taste. I had to show a picture of the wonderful desert. They were delicious and fun!!

The card was chocolate screen printed with cocoa and the one in front is a chocolate tea cup filled with the grahm cracker icecream with itty bitty marshmallows toasted. The polkadot one is a small cake filled with coconut cream that was to die for so light and airy, with a berry topping. the petit four was a cake that was spiced with jalapeno - very different but great!! The whole dinner was fantastic. The waiters were all decked out in Alice in Wonderland garb. Very Very Fun!!Thanks Karen for the invite.

We had a wonderful week at Disneyland. It was perfect we left early Monday and Tara, Tate, Owen and myself drove the whole way to San Diego. It was long but we fared ok. The next morning we went straight to Sea World. Grandma's favorite spot. Tara kind of hung with Owen and I ran all around with Tate and had a blast.

Then we drove up North on Highway one and enjoyed a beach in Carlsbad. I became very homesick this day - it brought many memories back from college. I am sure Tara was bored with my memories. I had a lot of fun in college.

Tate was so consumed with getting water from a wave and pouring it on the sand. I think he did it fifty times. What ever turns him on!

We drove in Wednesday night to Anaheim and decided to start Disneyland on Thursday. Tara and Tate ran and ran and ran. I enjoyed the grandma role. I kept Owen out of the sun and let at least a hundred people woo and ah at him on Main Street. I even bought him mini mouse socks which everyone laughed at- but he did win cute baby award for the day. I had so many workers come up and say I choose one baby a day to remember and enjoy and he is mine today. The mini mouse socks were a hit!! (I did cut the ribbons off to save his masculinity!)

The First Stop was Breakfast with Mickey. It was pricey but fun!

Dale, Sara and Ashley flew down and spent the weekend with us at Disneyland. It was great, and perfect amount of time for Dale. Dale loved it. Tate was so cute at Raintree Restaurant he just could not wait to show them all disneyland.

Dale's favorite was Mater of course.

We came home Sunday really late. We went one week before Tate's birthday on purpose to save money so we came home just in time to celebrate it with a Buzz Light Year birthday party. Tate first wanted a gun birthday so Uncle Cody showed up with a special present right from Cabela's Tate had to be persuaded to keep opening the other gifts. But Creed his cousin made sure the gun kept being noticed.

Easter

We had a wonderful Easter Brunch. The girls all came and it was just relaxing and fun. We decided to do a luncheon and with conference it was just no stress and fun. Brad came with Trent and mom too. And to top off the day we got to talk to Chris and Ashley. It was a wonderful Day. Tomorrow I am going to Disneyland with Tara and the boys. Dale, Ashley and Sara are going to meet us there. FUN!

Owen's Blessing

This was a great day to celebrate Owen. He had a hard start but is doing great. He is so lucky to have two families that love him and give him a great heritage -both the Sumsions and the Sorensens.

The fastest way to make a child look grown up is to have another child. Tate is only two but he acts and looks four. No one believes that he is two. Including himself. Yesterday he told me that on his birthday he is turning four so he can be as old as Creed (his cousin).

What a chunk! He really does not like to miss a feeding. I think he is trying to catch up. He is so cute!

Proud Dad! Dan did a great job blessing Owen. He gave him many blessings and great things to accomplish his in life.

Trip to Yellowstone

Dale and I had a wonderful trip to Yellowstone. I think this is Dale's favorite place in the world next to Spring City. We had a great time. We drove up Friday right after school and went Saturday all day snow mobiling. The last time we went in the fall we didn't see many animals. This time we saw a ton of animals: a couple hundred buffalo (like right next to us) three or four dozen elk, a coyote and three bald eagles. My favorite part was when one of the eagles flew right over my head. It was a great trip!! Jeff really wants to see Yellowstone. Maybe some day we will have to take all our kids again.

I am never cold because of my "astronaut suit" Dale thinks it is funny that I call it that- but that is what I feel like in it.

One of Dale's favorite thing in the whole world are water falls. the photo on the left shows some awesome ice formations I think caused from the steam. They were just like windows of ice over the falls

Here are the eagles

All the other groups saw a black wolf and some saw a white wolf. All we saw were the tracks. But that was cool!You can't go to Yellowstone without seeing Old Faithful. It was cold but we could still see it good which is unusual for the winter.

The week of February 15th

We had a great week. We moved Sara and Jeff into their new home. It is going to be so perfect for them.

We have great neighbors about a dozen deer visit us once in awhile - this is Tates favorite part of our home in Mapleton. It is fun to watch them!